The chairman of a House subcommittee says a recent outbreak of salmonella in eggs paints, in his words, “a very disturbing picture of egg production in America.”

During a hearing Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak showed photos of dead chickens, bugs and holes in hen houses at Iowa egg farms linked to the outbreak.

Lawmakers are questioning the heads of two Iowa egg farms that apparently produced eggs tainted with salmonella. As many as 1,600 people may have been poisoned.

The owner of Wright County Egg, Austin “Jack” DeCoster, said in prepared testimony that he was “horrified” to learn that his eggs may have sickened so many people. But DeCoster suggested that the outbreak might not be his company’s fault.